The Gannon University men’s cross country team finished up its fourth straight weekend of tough races with an eighth-place finish out of 17 teams Saturday.
The race was held at the Harry F. Anderson Cross Country Invitational and was hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College. Three runners were able to earn spots in the top 40 in a field of 144 runners.
Senior Adam Walker was Gannon’s top runner, who in 26 minutes, 55.8 seconds paced the Knights in the 8k race securing an 18th-place finish.
The winner of the race was Roberts Wesleyan’s Enock Bor, who finished the race in 25:39.4.
Other scorers for the Knights were junior Brain Svoboda in 34th, junior Eric Boring in 40th, senior Alex Raynor in 62nd, senior Drew “Chip” Tordella in 71st, senior Josh Gibbons in 78th and sophomore Evan Cook in 81st.
Freshman David Batistig also represented Gannon, finishing 121st.
This was the Knights fourth straight weekend of competition, with each race venue consisting of 8 kilometers, which is about 5 miles.
The Knights competed at the Notre Dame National Catholic Invitational and placed 13th out of 22 teams in a field of 133 non-Division 1 runners. The race, which took place Sept. 20, consisted of a large field of 260 runners from both divisions.
Earlier, the team was able to secure seventh place out of 14 teams at the Penn State Behrend Invitational on Sept. 14.
In their debut race on Sept. 7, the Knights earned a third-place team finish out of five teams at the mountainous Davis & Elkins Invitational in Elkins, W.Va.
The Knights continue practicing as they prepare for the last few meets of the season.
Coach John Carrig said he was happy with the performance of the team this season so far, especially since many of the strong runners graduated last year.
With a team of only eight men, Craig said, the group works hard with every practice and meet to run and race as a team and earn as many low-numbered places as possible.
“I continue to see improvement with every race,” Carrig said. “Now with a week off from competition, I am looking forward to our home meet on Oct. 12 to see how well we can do on our familiar home course.”
The race will be co-hosted by Gannon and Mercyhurst University, after which the cross country teams will have another week off of racing.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships will take place at Kutztown University on Oct. 26, and NCAA Division II Atlantic Regionals will be held at Lock Haven University on Nov. 9.
VERONICA BUJDOS
